Automatic skin puncturing system

• US 6,530,892 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Helen V. Kelly
• Original Assignee: Helen V. Kelly
• Inventors: Kelly, Helen V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirsch, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US09/801,331
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 600/583
• US Class Current: 600/583
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150198 Depth adjustment mechanism at the proximal end of the carrier of the piercing element
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150412 Pointed piercing elements, e.g. needles, lancets for piercing the skin blade-like piercing elements A61B5/150442
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150954 Means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. by temperature sensitive sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15109 Fully automatically triggered, i.e. the triggering does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15123 comprising magnets or solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15163 Characterized by propelling the piercing element in an axial direction relative to the disc
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15182 Means for keeping track or checking of the total number of piercing elements already used or the number of piercing elements still remaining in the stocking, e.g. by check window, counter, display

Abstract

An automatic skin puncturing system that was operable with one hand for allowing individuals with the use of only a single hand to take the blood samples needed to monitor their blood glucose levels. The automatic skin puncturing system includes a housing assembly, a power connecting jack, a battery holder, an indexable, motor driven turntable, an index switch, a reed switch, a lancet lifting assembly, a disposable lancet carousel cartridge, and an electronic, micro-processor controlled circuit.

Claims

1. An automatic skin puncturing system comprising:

a housing assembly;

a power connecting jack;

a battery holder;

an indexable, motor driven turntable;

an index switch;

a reed switch;

a lancet lifting assembly;

a disposable lancet carousel cartridge; and

an electronic, micro-processor controlled circuit;

the housing assembly including a bottom housing portion, a removable housing carousel cover portion and a securing knob;

the bottom housing portion having a puncturing system cavity defined therein and accessible through a cartridge positioning opening formed through a top bottom housing portion surface, a triggering magnet opening formed through the top bottom housing portion surface at a location adjacent to the cartridge positioning opening, a power connecting jack opening, a battery compartment access cover, a counter display, an on/off switch, and a number of nonskid foot pads;

the removable housing carousel cover portion being sized and securable to the bottom housing portion in a manner to cover the cartridge positioning opening with the securing knob, the removable housing carousel cover portion including a pivoting lancet lifting assembly trigger switch actuator having a top switch surface portion that is hingedly connected to and pivots with respect to a top cover surface of the removable housing carousel cover portion and a reed switch triggering magnet connected to a rod mechanically carried by the top switch surface portion that is positioned through the triggering magnet opening of the bottom housing portion when the top switch surface portion is oriented in parallel with the top cover surface of the removable housing carousel cover portion, the top switch surface portion including a finger positioning indentation having a lancet passage opening formed therethrough;

the power connecting jack being positioned within the puncturing system cavity of the housing and adjacent the power connecting jack opening;

the battery holder being positioned within the puncturing system cavity of the housing within a battery compartment and accessible by battery compartment access cover;

the indexable, motor driven turntable being rotatable within the puncturing system cavity of the housing on a bearing pivot point extending upward from a bottom surface of the housing, the indexable, motor driven turntable being driven by a dc motor having a gear in connection with a perimeter rack gear formed around the underside of the turntable, a keyed carousel cartridge drive shaft extending upwardly from a center thereof, and a perimeter side edge having a number of index switch roller indentations formed thereon;

the index switch being positioned within the puncturing system cavity of the housing and with respect to the indexable, motor driven turntable such that a roller of the index switch rolls along the perimeter side edge indexable, motor driven turntable;

the index switch having open index switch contacts when the roller is positioned in one of the number of index switch roller indentations and closed open index switch contacts when the roller is not positioned in one of the number of index switch roller indentations;

the reed switch being positioned within the housing at a location such that the reed switch triggering magnet is position in a location to close a pair of reed switch contacts when a user pushes down on the top switch surface portion;

the lancet lifting assembly being positioned within the puncturing system cavity of the housing and including a main plate and a linear sliding, wedge shaped lift rod raising cam connected to the end of a lancet lifting assembly solenoid attached to the main plate;

the lancet lifting assembly solenoid moving the wedge shaped lift rod raising cam along a linear path between a first cam position and a second cam position;

the main plate having an adjustment wheel contact structure extending from a solenoid side end thereof;

the main plate being supported by a main plate support fulcrum positioned under a cam side end of the main plate and contact between the adjustment wheel contact structure and an angled undersurface of a lancet depth adjustment wheel rotatably mounted to the bottom housing portion such that a portion of the lancet depth adjustment wheel extends out of the bottom housing portion, the height of the cam side end of the main plate being adjustable by positioning the lancet depth adjustment wheel;

the disposable lancet carousel cartridge including a cartridge housing having a carousel hub formed through the center thereof having a key way adapted for receiving the upwardly projecting keyed carousel cartridge drive shaft of the indexable, motor driven turntable, an outer perimeter upper cartridge surface having a number of spaced lancet cartridge openings, and a number of lancet assemblies each with a lancet positioned beneath one of the number of spaced lancet cartridge openings and a lancet lift rod having a first end connected to the lancet and a second lift rod end slidably positioned through and past a cartridge bottom surface a distance such that a force pushing upward on the second lift rod end causes a puncturing tip of the lancet to be raised through and past its respective spaced lancet cartridge opening;

the cartridge bottom surface being positioned above the linear path of the linear sliding, wedge shaped lift rod raising cam a distance such that, when a second lift rod end is positioned above the second cam position, movement of the wedge shaped lift rod raising cam from the first cam position to the second cam position results in contact between the wedge shaped lift rod raising cam and the second lift rod end sufficient to cause the puncturing tip of the lancet attached to the second lift rod end to be raised through and past its respective spaced lancet cartridge opening;

the electronic, micro-processor controlled control circuit being in power receiving connection with the power connecting jack and the battery holder, in controlling connection with the lancet lifting assembly solenoid, the turntable motor drive circuit, and the counter display, and in input receiving connection from the counter reset switch, the on/off switch, and the reed switch;

the turntable motor drive circuit being in controlling connection with the turntable drive motor and in input receiving connection with the turntable indexing switch;

the electronic, micro-processor controlled control circuit being programmed to a) move the indexable, motor driven turntable until the puncturing tip of a lancet in alignment with the lancet passage opening when turned on with the on/off switch;

b) wait until a trigger signal is received from the reed switch;

c) operate the lancet lifting assembly solenoid to move the lift rod raising cam from the first cam position to the second cam position and then back to the first cam position, in response to receiving the trigger signal;

d) move the indexable, motor driven turntable such that no puncturing tip of a lancet is in alignment with the lancet passage opening; and

e) decrement the lancet counter display.